Mechanical movement and electric-light socket.



T. A. C. BOTH. 4 MECHANICAL MOVEMENT AND ELECTRIC LIGHT- SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, I911.

Patented 001. 31, 1911.

a sums-$112311.

III-I 'I /////////l WITNESSES T. A. O. BOTH.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT AND ELECTRIC LIGHT EOCKET.

11 11110111101: FILED 11mm, 1911.

WITNE88E8 Patented "Odt. 31, 1911.

a SEEETBSHEBT 2.

T.A.G. BO TH. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT-AND ELECTRIC LIGHT SOCKET.

APPLIOATiON FILED JUNEZ; 1911. I 0 1,007,058. f Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

a sums-sum a.

' a switch mechanism;

trio-Light Sockets, of

. "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

BOTH, 0F YORK, N. Y. ASSIGNOR TO IDA S. ROSENHEIM,

. OF NEW YORK, N. Y. I

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT AND ELECTRIC-LIGHT SOCKET.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented oer. 31, 1911.

resident of New York, .in the county of- New York and State ofNew York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MechanicalMovements and Elecwhich the following is a specification, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thesame.

This invention relates to mechanical movements adapted for universalapplication, It is particularly adapted to make a quickv .make and aquick break between electrical contacts on the rotation, in eitherdirection, of the driving member.

Myinvention further relates to electric light sockets and to details ofconstruction of both the mechanical movement and the electric lightsocket, which will be more fully hereinafter described in thespecification and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings showing illustrative embodiments of myinvention and in which the same refer to similar parts in the severalfigures,Figure 1 is a central vertical section through my improvedelectric light socket equipped with my mechanical movement as Fig. 2is-a side elevalight socket looking in tion of my electric the directionof the arrow 2 in Fig. 7; Fig.

3 is a side elevation of an electric light socket looking in thedirection of the arrow No. 3 in Fig. 7; Fig. 1 is a transverse verticalsection on the line 4-4 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrows;Figis a perspective view of the driving member; Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryside elevation of the socket, on a somewhat reducedscale, showing theindicating button; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section substantially on theline 77 of Fig. 1;,Fig. 8 is a perspective Viewv of one of theinsulating base members; Fig.

9 is a perspective View of the screw shell;

Fig; 10 is a perspective view of the resilient driven member of themechanical movement; Fig. 11 is a plan-view of the blank from which theresilient driven member is formed; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one13 1s a side eleof the binding posts; Fig. vation of a modification;Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a screw shell to cooperate with line17--17 -of Fig. 16;

reference numeralsthe dI'lVlIlg member Application and June a, 1911.semi .No. camera 1 the modified form of insulating base shown in Fig.13; Fig. 15 is an inverted plan view of the lower insulating membershown in Fig. 13; Fig.. 16 is a central vertical section substantiallyon the line 16'-16'..0f Fig. 17 of a modified construction in which theresilient driven member slides laterally to the longitudinal axis of thesocket; Fig. 17 is a horizontal section substantially on the Fig. 18 isa fragmentary side elevation of the screw shell used in this form ofconstruction. 1

' In the illustrative embodiments 'of my in vention shown in thedrawing, 1, Figs; 1

and 5, is the driving member provided with a substantially Z-shaped cam2, Fig. 5, having substantially two parallel surfaces 3 and 1 4 arrangedat an angle to the longitudinal axis of the driving member 1 andextending between the head 5 and the base 6 of the substantiallyz-shaped cam. The head 5 and base 6 are in effect opposed cranks whichare connected by the inclined member having the parallel surfaces 3 and4.. This driving member liis also provided with an extension 9, Fig. 5,and with substantially cylindrical portions 7 and 8 to cotiperate with.

suitable bearings.

To directly cooperate with the driving member 1, I provide a resilientdriven member which may beformed in various ways. It may for example asin Fig.

10 be a resilient driven member 10 having a body mem-.

ber 11 provided with with operating arms to the bodymember are arms 15and 16 connected together by means of a cross arm 17 This cross arm 17directly cooperates with the Z-shaped cam 2 of the driving member 1,Figs. 1 and 5. If the pivoting arm 12 of the driven member 10 be held inany suitable manner, as in the recess 18 in a support, Fig. 1, it isclear that upon the rotation of 1, in either direction, one of theopposed cranks on the driving member 1, the head 5 or the base 6, will apivoting arm 12 and 13 and 14. Connected.

cause the cross arm 17 -to approach the pivoting arm 12 and in thismanner store up energy in the driven member 10 until such time as eitherthe parallel surfaces 3 or 4, as

the case may be, is brought directly beneath the cross arm 17 jump fromone crank and become seated in mainly molded at the the crotch 26 of theother crank, but in so doing it will cause the entire resilient drivenmember to move with a quick snap. This may be taken advantage ofwherever such a simple and positive mechanical movement is desirable. Ihave shown it for purposes of illustration used as a switch mechanism,in an electric light socket 19, Fig. 1. This movement. In the face ofone or both of the insulating base members 20 and 21 I form recesses 24and 25, Fig. 8, to form a bearing for the cylindrical portions 8 and 7of the driving member 1. By preferably forming the insulating base intwo parts and arranging them face to face they can be easily molded outof porcelain, or other insulating material at minimum expense;thebearings for the driving member or key being pref same time. They canalso be held together without using a bracket or brackets as iscustomarywhen upper and lower insulating parts are used. In one or both of theinsulating base membersI preferably' form a recess 18 to receive thepivoting arm 12 of the driven member 10.

When my mechanical movement is use'f. as a switch mechanism in a socket,the arms 13 and 14.- become electricalcontacts to cooperate,respectively, with the contact 27,

carried by the screw shell or side contact 28, and with the contact 29carried by the binding post 30, Figs. 1, 7 and 4.

To permit freer movement of the driven member I preferably, though notneces' sarily', provide the different insulating base members 20 and 21With slots 31, 31 which will permit the contact arms 13 and lt on thedriven member 10 to rest at some little distance from the contacts 27.and 2%) when the switch is turned to its inoperative position. Theseslots may be variously formed but I preferably form them simply byomitting a portion of the exterior surface of each of'the insulatingbase members 20 and 21. Upon rotating the key or button'32 in eitherdirection the cross arm 17 of the resilient contact driven member 10will be first pressed by one of the opposed cranks 5 or 6 toward thepivoting arm 12 to store up energy in the driven member and then, assoon as either the inclined surface 3 or 4, as the case may be, isbrought beneath the cross arm 17 it will instantly with, a quick andpositive snap, move down one or the other inclined surface 3 or 4 of theZ-shaped member 2 until it rests in the corresponding the cross arm 17until the maximum energy has been stored up in the drivenv member 10 anduntil the inclined surfaces 3 or 4 are brought directly beneath thecross arm 17, I preferably provide the Z-shaped member with recesses 33,33.

Itwill be noted that in my present invention the driven member of mymechanical movement is also the resilient member and that no additionalelement, other than the driving member, is needed to operate the drivenmember, but on the contrary simply by rotating the driving member 1, ineither direction, will, without the aid of any other member, cause thedriven member to perform its desired function.

The driven member which I have illus trated in Fig. 10 I preferably formout of sheet metal. at. one stamping making a blank shown in Fig. 11from which the arms can readily be bent into the position shown in Fig.10; or the entire driven member may be stamped and bentout of sheetmetal in one operation. The manner of manufacturing the driven member,however, does not form any part of my present invention as it may bevariously made.

Another portion of my invention comprises the driving member 1, Fig. 5,which is preferably formed out of sheet metal, the entire driving memberbeing preferably formed at one stamping, the Z-shaped cam being bent orcrimped in the driving member at that time. Itis to be understood ofcourse that it may be made in other ways as bya series of stain ings'orotherwise.

Another portion 0 my; invention comprises the electric lightsocketandthe means of attaching the different members forming the insulatingbase together and at the same time connecting the binding posts to thesocket. A still further portion of my invention includes securing thescrew shell to the insulating base by the aid. of the samesecuring'means which are used to secure the different members of thebase together.

In the present practice it is customary to secure the binding posts tothe insulating base by one set of screws or securing means and to haveadditional. screws or other se-- curing means to secure the two or moreper .tions of the base together. This entails additional cost for theadditional securing in the labor of assembling'the socket. By myinvention I use simply two screws 34: and 35, Figs. 1 and 4-, arrangedtransversely to the longitudinal axis of the socket, and pref- 11):)means and considerable additional expense is preferably, though noterably above and below the recess 23 in which my switch mechanism is-mounted. The screw 34 has its head countersunk in the insulating basemember 21 and cooperates with and holds the binding plate 30 to theother base memberQO. The other screw 35 has its head countersunk in theinsulating base member 20 and holds the binding post 36 to theinsulating base'member 21. The binding posts 30 and 36 carry the usualbinding screws 37, 37. The binding post 36 necessarily, formed integralwith the center contact 38 which passes through an opening 39 in thescrew Crt shell It- -is, therefore. seen that by my invention the veryact of securing the ditt'erent binding posts 30 and 36 to the insulatingbase 19 serves, at the same time, to secure the different sections ofthe insulating base together, and avoids the necessity of using at leastone or more additional screws for bolding these sections to each other.I sually two-such additional screws are used which not only entailsadditional expense but also the additional labor in mounting them and incovering over their ends with wax as is customary.

In addition to securing the different portions of the insulating basetogether. two being preferably used. by the same means which secure theditt'erent binding posts to the base. I also at the same time and at thesame operation secure the shell to the insulating base. This may be donein various ways. I preferably provide the screw shell 28 with a lockingsurface as a head it) and provide each of the insulating base members'20 and 21 with a cooperating locking surface as a groove 41. It willtherefore be seen that by my invention. after. the switch mechanism hasbeen positioned in one of the insulating base members 20 or 21.substantially one half of the bead 40 of the screw shell 28 can then bemade to register with a locking groove 41 in that insulating basemember. the other insulating base member can then be broughtintocooperation with the first member to inclose the switch mechanism and atthe .same time bring its loclv'ing groove it into register withsubstantially the other halt of the bead it) of the screw shell 2H: thenby locating the binding posts 230 and it; in their proper recesses. theentire mechanism will be secured together. the screw shell to the base.the ditterent sec tions of the base together. and the binding posts tothe base I the two screws 34 and In my improved socket the screws whichare ordinarily used to secure the shell to the insulating base areomitted. saving their cost and also giving greater room in the interiorof the socket for the switch mechanism.

By my invention it is not necessary that. the resilient driven memberrock upon a support as it does for example in Fig. 1. The resilientdriven member. instead of rocking. may readily be arranged to slidelaterally to the longitudinal axis of the socket as shown for example inFig. 16. In this figure I. have shown the insulating base 42 formed alsoof two insulating base members t3 and It. each of them being providedwith a re cess 45 to receive and inclose my mechanical movement which ishere shown as the switch mechanism of the socket. In this form of myinvention the driving member I is the same in all respects as that shownin Fig. 5. The resilient driven member 1 6. however. has a somewhatdifl'erent shape being pro vided with a body member IT and two forwardlyextending contact arms 48 and ML,

and a forwardly extending yoke 50 having an engaging member 51 todirectly cooperate with the Z-shapedcam Q'upon the driving member I. Ialso; though not necessarily. provide the resilient driven member towith an upwardly extending apertured arm 52 pre't'e'ably'formed bybending up a portion of the metal lying between the contact arms 48 and49 and extend the arm 52 between the arms of the yoke 50. Through theaperture '53 in this arm I pass the cylii'ulrical portion 7 of thedriven member 1. This arm 52 cooperating with the head 5 serves to actas a stop to the movement of the driven member it; in one direction. Inthis construction the screw shell .34; Fig. 1b. is provided with acontact 55 the other cooperating con act 56 being mounted upon thebinding post 57. Fig. 17. By rotating the driving member 1. ineitherdirectimi. the resilient driven member 46 is caused to slideaxially of the driv either a quick make or a quick break. as the casemay be. with the contacts 55 and 56. In this construction also similarlocking screws 34 and 35 are used to secure the dif ferent portions ofthe insulating base together as well as to secure the binding post andscrew shell together.

In some cases instead of forming the insulating base of the socket outof a plurality of elements having their meeting faces in a planecoinciding with the longitudinal axis of the socket. I- may in somecases t'orm it out of two insulating members 57 and 58 having theirmeeting faces at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the socket.The lower insulating base member 58 in such a construction. I providewith a cut away pzn'tion 5t) and with a locking groove 60 to cooperatewith'tbe bead G! on the screw shell (32. Fig. l-t. In thist'orm of myinvention the screw shell would be prevented from escaping from thelocking groove Gt) by means of the cap and shell. not shown in thisfigure. but which are dotted in Fig. 1. the cap being 3 and the shell(34. As the cap and shell torm no part ot my invention I havesln'nvn'them in I mg member 1 with a quick snap and to make Fig. 1simply in dotted lines so as not to confuse the other illustrations. InFig. 6

they are shown in 'full lines.

Another portion of my invention comprises a socket provided withindicating mechanism so as to show whether or not the switch is on oroff. Frequently when the consuming device is at some distance from thesocket it is very desirable to know, 'without inspecting the consumingdevice, whether or not the current is passing through it. In

other cases it'has been found very desirable in practice to knowpositively whether or not the switch mechanism has been completelyturned in the desired direction, either to cut in or out any device towhich the socket may be connected.

A portion of my invention includes a SOiZliQtwhich -at a glance willshow whether or not the switch mechanism is ,on or off.

, This may be accomplished in various ways.

I have shown for example a switch mechanism which positively operates ona half turn of the button or key 32. I mount on the button a pointer 65,Figs. 6 and 7 which will always point either to the word On or 0ft,which may be stamped, printed, painted or otherwise mounted upon thewhether or not the current is passing through shell 64. By such anarrangement a mere glance at the socket will instantly determine someconsuming device which'may be either not in sight-or at some distancefrom the socket,

Having .thus described this invention in connection with severalillustrative embodiments thereof to the details of which I do not desireto be limited, what is claimed as new and what it is desired to secureby Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: 4

1. In a mechanical movement, the combination of a driving memberprovided with an integral bent portion arranged atan angle to the otherportion of the driving member and having opposite bearing surfaces, anda resilient driven member adapted to coi'iperate directly with the saidopposite bearing surfacesof the bent portion of the driving memberwhereby said driven member is moved by said driving member.

2. In a mechanical movement, the combination of a rotary driving memberprovided with opposed cranks, an inclined member connecting the opposedcranks, a resilient driven member adapted to cooperate directly with theinclined member connecting the opposed cranks to move the driven member.

In a mechanical movement, thecombination of a rotary driving memberprovided with a substantially Z-shaped cam, and a resilient drivenmember adapted to cooperate with the Z-shaped cam.

4:. In a mechanical movement, the combination of a driving memberprovided with opposed cranks, an inclined member provided with recessesconnecting the opposed cranks, a resilient driven member adapted tocooperate directly withithe inclined member and with the recessesto movethe driven member.

5. In a mechanical movement, the combination of a rotary driving memberprovided with a substantially Z-shaped cam provided with recesses, -anda resilient driven member adapted to cooperatewith the Z-s'haped cam.

6. In a mechanical movement,,tlie combidriving member provided with asubstantially Z-sha'ped cam and extensions on either end of the Z-shapedcam.

9. An article ofmanufacture comprising a driving member provided with asubstanmember jprotially Z-shaped cam provided with recesses andextensions on either end of the Z-shaped cam.

10. An article of manufacture comprisin a driving member provided withan integra substantially Z-shaped cam and provided with integralextensions extending out from the. Z-shaped cam.

11. In electric sockets, the combination of a resilient driven member,and a driving member provided with a bent portion adapted to put theresilient driven member under tension, two spaced contacts, saidresilient driven member being adapted to directly contact with the' bentportion of the driving to directly make and break the connection betweensaid conta'cts'to. make a quick break or a quick make of the current.

H 12. In electric sockets, the combination of a resilient rocking drivenmember, and a driving member provided with a bent portion adapted to putthe resilient driven member under tension, two spaced contacts, saidresilient rocking driven member being adapted to directly contact withthe bent portion of the driving member to be thereby put under tensionand to directly make and break the connection between said contacts tomake a quick make or a quick break of the current.

13. In electric sockets, the combination of Ill) member to be therebyput under tension and. I

a resilient rocking contact, and a driving member provided with asubstantially Z-shaped cam adapted to put the resilient tions of thebase driven member under tension, two spaced contacts, said resilientrocking contact driven member being adapted to directly contact with thesubstantially Z-shaped cam of the driving member to be thereby put undertension to directly make and break the connection between said contactsto make a quick break or a quick make of the current. 14. In electricsockets, the combination of a base provided with a plurality of partsand locking surfaces carried by the base to cooperate with similarsurfaces carried by the screw shell, binding posts, a screw shellprovided with-locking surfaces to cooperate with those carried by thebase, and means to secure the binding posts to the base and at the sametime to secure the different sectogether and to automati cally securethe base to the shell. Y

15. In electric sockets, the combination of a'base formed of twoinsulating members, each of them provided with a locking groove, a-screwshell, a locking surface carried by the screw shell to cooperate withthe locking groove, binding posts and two screws for securing thebinding post to the insulating base and at the same time to secure thetwo sections of the base together.

16. In electric sockets, the combination of two insulating base memberseach of them being provided with a locking groove, a screw shell havinga bead .to cooperate with the locking groove, two binding postsand twolocking screws to secure the binding posts to the base and the differentsections of the base together and at the same time to automaticallysecure the shell to the base.

17. In electric sockets, the combination of two insulating base memberseach provided with a recess to inclose the switch mechanism and with alocking groove, a switch mechanism mounted within the recess, twobinding posts, a screw shell provided with a surface to cooperate withthe locking groove, and means to secure at one time'the binding tions ofthe base. 7

18. In electric sockets, the combination of an insulating base memberprovided with a recess for the reception of the switch mechanism andwith an extension of the recess for the reception of the pivoting arm ofthe driven member, a driving member mounted in,the insulating base andprovided with a substantially Z-shaped cam, a rocking resilient drivenmember mounted within the insulating base and having a pivoting arm tocooperate with the pivoting recess in the base, a member to directlycooperate with the Z-shaped cam and with two contacta'rms the basetogether and the shell to to cooperate with separate contacts, and two.

contacts to cooperate with said contact arms upon the rotation of thedriven member in either direction to make either a quick make or a quickbreak of the current. 19. In an electric socket, the combination oftwoinsulating base members having their meeting faces arrangedsubstantially longitudinally of the socket and provided with recesses, adriving member journaled in said recesses, a driven member mounted insaid recesses and provided with a substantially Z- shaped cam, aresilient driven member adapted to cooperate with the Z-shaped cam, andelectrical contacts adapted to cooperate directly with the resilientdriven member.

TONJES AUGUST CARL BOTH.

Witnesses BENJ. STRAUss, LEON STRAUSS.

, Washington, D. G.

posts to the base, the different sec-

